Board of Education Meeting Minutes

September 15, 2009

CITY OF NORWALK

BOARD OF EDUCATION

REGULAR MEETING

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

ATTENDANCE: Rosa Murray, Chair; Jody Bishop-Pullan, Vice Chair; Jack Chiaramonte, Secretary, Glenn Iannaccone, Greg Burnett

STAFF: Dr. Papallo, Interim Superintendent of Schools; Dr. Dan Cook, Norwalk Public School System; Anthony Daddona, Assistant Superintendent of Schools

CALL TO ORDER

Ms. Murray called the meeting to order at 7:49 p.m.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Ms. Murray led those present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Let it be noted that the following comments and remarks by all speakers have been summarized and are not necessarily verbatim.

No one wished to address the Board at this time.

ACTIONS

A. Consent

1 Approval of personnel Actions

** MS. HAMILTON MOVED TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL ACTIONS. ** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

B Approval of the minutes of the September 1, 2009 meeting. 9/1/09

** MS. HAMILTON MOVED THE ITEM ** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN SECONDED.

The following changes were noted:

Page 1, under Public Comment, paragraph 1, line 1, please change the following from: “Ms. Eva Bartish” to “Ms. Eva Bartush”

Page 5, under Finance Committee, paragraph 2 please replace following

Previously, the negotiations had progressed in a standardized manner. This time, there is a real difference because of the economic situation that the City is facing. It is important that the board be as fiscally responsible as possible. The Board worked very hard to stay away from the classroom.

To:

Ms. Bishop-Pullan said at the time that there was not much difference in the negotiations other than the economic situation. During the Budget reconciliation the Board worked very hard in a bi-partisan manner to avoid making cuts that would affect the classroom and would continue to do so.

** THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2009 AS CORRECTED PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

C Approve of policy#6171 Special Education.

** MS. HAMILTON MOVED TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE POLICY #6171 – SPECIAL EDUCATION.

** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

4. Approval of field trips

1. Jefferson Grade 5 to Charleton, MA

** MR. BURNETT MOVED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE ATTACHED FIELD TRIP: JEFFERSON SCIENCE MAGNET, GRADE 5 TO CHARLETON, MA – NATURE’S CLASSROOM OCTOBER 26 – 30, 2009.

** MS. HAMILTON SECONDED.

Mr. Iannaccone said that it was unusual for a middle school class to go to Nature’s Classrooms. Dr. Papallo said that he had seen this in other district. Mr. Daddona said that Jefferson was a science magnet school and that while this would be new to Norwalk, he felt that it would appropriate.

** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

2. Brien McMahon NJROTC to West Point, NY

** MR. BURNETT MOVED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE ATTACHED FIELD TRIP: BRIEN MCMAHON HIGH SCHOOL NJROTC TO BASIC LEADERSHIP TRAINING, WEST POINT, NY SEPTEMBER 17-20, 2009.

** MS. HAMILTON SECONDED.

Mr. Iannaccone said that as he read this, it was unusual because normally it does not require Board approval, but because of the short time frame, it was on the agenda.

** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

INFORMATION AND REPORTS

District Improvement Plan

Mr. Daddona said that as a result of the Cambridge and CREC reports, the District is in Need of Improvement. The most recent report said that the District has improved as a result of the District Data Teams’ work and using the data to form instruction. Each school has a Data Team and the teams have finished Phase 1. At the next meeting the teams will be reviewing the CAP and CMT scores and formulating the strategies for the next year.

Ms. Mosby joined the meeting at 8:00 p.m.

Ms. Murray said that this progress would have obviously not happened without the work of the teams and the faculty.

Ms. Bishop Pullan said that she had some clarifications. She said that the Board was impressed with the work and very excited to see the results. She wanted to clarify that because Norwalk is a district in need of improvement, the Cambridge evaluation was done and the Board asked for the CREC evaluation. Combining the two sets of recommendations helped with improvements in students’ learning. Mr. Daddona said that the teams will look at their goals and set new goals for the coming year. Ms. Bishop Pullan said that there was professional development was mentioned frequently in the reports. Mr. Daddona said that there had a strong focus on professional development and that he felt that the five schools that made safe harbor have indicated that this was working.

Ms. Murray asked if there was going to be a continuation of professional Development. Mr. Daddona said that it would and that the students and parents would also be able to look at the data for common formative assessments and other areas. Scientific Based Intervention (SBI) training has started and the staff has begun the training.

Ms. Mosby said that she would not only like to thank the staff, but also Mr. Daddona because he worked hard to stay on top of the issue.

Facility Assessment

Dr. Cook and Mr. Gorian came forward and said that the packet contained an outline of various projects grouped by categories, such as windows and roofs, HVAC systems, boilers, and such. The projects on this list will account for the remaining six million dollars that remains in the account.

Mr. Iannaccone said that the Finance Committee had reviewed the report. Ms. Bishop-Pullan said that the Finance Committee had reviewed this report, but that there were some unanswered questions about what would happen after the Board approved it. Dr. Cook said that the staff has begun wording the resolution and it will include a request that if different items surface, the new items be brought back to the Board. Dr. Papallo said that there is an email from Dr. Cook and Mr. Gorian with the draft motion to accept the audit plan with modifications. He suggested that the Board review the proposed resolution and sent comments to him.

Utility Aides

Mr. Daddona said that there was a discussion at the end of last year and that after checking the Priority School grant, which supports the parents, staff and early interventions, the District was able to fund 12 1/2 hours for utility aides to all of the elementary schools. The principals said that the utility aides help with the outreach for the Free and Reduced lunch and this indirectly supports other areas. Ms. Bishop Pullan asked if there would be a new job description. Mr. Daddona said that the job description has been revised and he then reviewed the details for the Title One schools. These changes will help the other schools by releasing more District funding for the other schools.

Mr. Burnett said that he was curious regarding the use of the Priority School grant funding for the utility aides. He then asked what would not be covered by the funding because of their used for the aides. Mr. Daddona said that the District was able to pay for half of the literacy specialists for each of the schools, but by applying the funding for the aides, the District funding for those aides could be shifted to the literacy specialists. He said that the principals were very helpful in this process and it helped tremendously.

Close out of 2008-2009 Budget

Dr. Cook came forward and said that there was a three page document in the packet that had been reviewed with the Board Finance Committee. This is the final report, which was done to keep the BOE abreast of the developments in the budget. He then reviewed the significant items in each of the eight categories with the Board and the various accounts’ final balances. He said that after all the expenses were calculated, the District was able to close out in the black and will be returning $26,000 to the City.

Portable Classrooms

Dr. Cook said that the portables would be completed very soon. He then listed the various items at Rowayton that have been completed and said that the ramp decks and skirting work remained to be completed. This should be done by Thursday with an inspection scheduled by Friday. Dr. Papallo said that there was a PTO meeting on Thursday night and the group might be able to hold the meeting in the modular or at the very least, have a tour of the modular. He then thanked Dr. Cook and Mr. Gorian for all their efforts regarding this.

Dr. Cook then listed the items that had been completed for Naramake portables. He then gave a brief outline of the time line of the various completion dates for the modulars. The portable should be ready to be occupied by the 29th or 30th. Ms. Bishop-Pullan thanked the staff and appreciated the staff’s effort and flexibility in this situation.

Ms. Murray asked whether the copies of the emails and other documents were available for the public to see because there were people who had not be aware of all the details of the process. Dr. Cook said that he had copies of all the correspondence from Mr. Gorian and himself available.

Update on Superintendent’s Search

Ms. Murray said that while understanding the confidentiality aspect, the Board needs to move forward. There needs to be a Search Committee meeting before the next scheduled Board meeting. She said that it would be important to know if the Board wanted to employ a search firm and whether they wanted to have Dr. Papallo involved.

Ms. Hamilton said that she would welcome Dr. Papallo. She then said that she would welcome a search firm because of the time constraints. One of the things that a search firm could do for the Board is vetting the candidates. Mr. Iannaccone pointed out that there were members who had done this before and other who had not worked with search firms. Mr. Burnett said that he would encourage the Board to have a search firm, but it was important to assess what funds were available for a search firm.

Ms. Mosby said that she would welcome Dr. Papallo as part of the team. Dr. Papallo said that it would be important to outline what the Board wants the search firm to do. He then encouraged the Board members to put their thoughts on paper. Mr. Chiaramonte said that he did not want a search firm that would just put ads in the newspapers, but one that would identify potential candidates. Ms. Mosby said that she would support the search firm because in order to get a quality person for the district, because they can go out and solicit candidates. Dr. Papallo said that one thing he would like to Board to think about is that there are a number of firms in area and he would encourage them to focus on firms in the region. Ms. Murray asked for a definition of “region”. Dr. Papallo said that he thought about the tri-state area. Ms. Murray mentioned national searches and Dr. Papallo said that sometimes national search bring in candidates who are not aware of the State Statutes. He added that Ms. Hamilton’s comment about the firms doing the vetting was a very important point.

Mr. Iannaccone said that it would be important to start locally. Ms. Murray asked if there was an internal practice. Ms. Bishop-Pullan said that she would check into that.

Mr. Burnett said that the Board would like to see a diverse slate of candidate. Ms. Murray said that diverse means different things to different people and that needed to be defined clearly.

It was then decided that the Search Committee will meet before the Board meeting on October 6th at 6:00 p.m.

COMMITTEE/REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS

Norwalk Facility Construction Committee –(NFCC) – No report.

CES and NEF –

Ms. Hamilton said that CES met on September 3rd and there is now a CES Foundation to support teacher’s requests for special projects. Ms. Hamilton then gave a brief history of how this came to be. In December, there is a CES gala at the Center for the Performing Arts where the students give a performance.

Regarding Special Education, with the SRBI training, the District’s have an opportunity to request an extension of time until June 10th. Once SRBI is implemented, the move to testing will be moved back to allow the students to attain the necessary levels. Norwalk is one of the communicates that have requested this extension

Ms. Hamilton said that a discussion about in school suspensions the followed.

NEF – No report.

BET/BOE Joint Services Study Group – No report.

Finance Committee –

Ms. Bishop-Pullan announced that a number of the items that have been discussed on the agenda had previously been discussed in Committee. Dr. Papallo suggested that the timing of the meetings be adjusted to coordinate with the setting of the agenda.

Ms. Bishop-Pullan said that the Board had approved enough money to keep the pool open so that the groups could generate some income. Ms. Bishop-Pullan said that it was interesting that the community had stated they did not want to close the pool and that the $800,000 was almost realized

Human Services Mentoring Committee –

Mr. Burnett reported that there had been quite a bit of activity in the mentoring program. There were six key items. First, here are 33 new mentors who are matched at the various schools.

Secondly, after all the mentors are trained, there will be a total of 175 mentors, with a goal of 200 by January 2010.

Thirdly, the schools have been requested to schedule welcome back breakfasts for the mentors. A number of schools have done this. This is a great opportunity for a kick-off. On September 30th at 7:30, the NHS breakfast will take place.

Fourth, there has been an outreach to Sacred Heart for a bi-lingual intern to help with translating some materials.

Fifth, on Monday there was an announcement that the United Way of Fairfield County has launched an institute for mentoring. The focus will be on sharing best practices, screening, funding, and other ideas. A number of mayors from the surrounding towns, including Mayor Moccia, were present for this announcement in Bridgeport.

Finally, one of the efforts will be to have more parents as mentors. Currently, the program has requested the PTO to allow a few minutes for a presentation to the parents.

Ms. Murray asked what happens when a student graduates from the high school. Mr. Burnett said that the coordinator maintains a relationship with the mentor and matches the mentor up with another student if possible.

Curriculum Committee –

Ms. Mosby announced that this week was ADHD Awareness Week and that on Monday, the Governor and Mayor released a proclamations about this. There was a workshop at Columbus School tonight. The Curriculum Committee worked closely with Atty. Spahr on this.

Ms. Mosby said that at the last meeting at August 19th, there was a review of the Special Education and CREC highlights for the 2008-2009 school year. Ms. Mosby said that there were some changes to the program and these were implemented on August 1st. The manual for the Special Education for the staff was discussed. Copies will be available for the parents to review at each of the schools. Ms. Mosby said that the number of students who were identified as Special Education had been reduced to an acceptable level and State has informed the District that the District would no longer need supervision. Ms. Mosby then reviewed the details about the Special Ed handbooks and added that the website was being revamped. The site will be available in English and in Spanish. The primary focus for this site will be Norwalk. Ms. Mosby said that the regular staff and Special Ed staff meet as a team and this also covers Professional Development.

The next Parent’s Advisory Committee (PAC) will meet on October 3rd.

The CREC report focused on communication. The first workshop was held on June 30th on this subject. The Scientific Research-Based Intervention (SRBI) training started on September 9th and a review of the Administrator Professional Development started and focused on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations.

The next Curriculum meeting will be on October 14th, and will include a review of the CMT scores.

Mr. Papallo said that he was concerned about the scheduling of the meetings before the Executive Committee so that things could be included on the agenda.

BOARD MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ms. Hamilton said that she would be one of those training as a mentor.

Mr. Iannaccone said that the Fire Department will be having an open house On October 3 from 10-2.

DISCUSSION OF NASA GRIEVANCE

** MS. BISHOP PULLAN MOVED TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THE NASA GRIEVANCE. ** GI SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The Board entered into Executive Session at 9:05 p.m. and returned to public session at 9:16 p.m.

ADJOURNMENT

** MR. IANNACCONE MOVED TO ADJOURN. ** MS. HAMILTON SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting adjourned at 9:16 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon L. Soltes Telesco Secretarial Services

Category: Minutes